Visitors to Carl Sandburg Home NHS can “Read to a Goat” during National Literacy Month in September. Beginning Wednesday, September 1, a red wagon full of books by Carl Sandburg will be available at the entrance to the barnyard and pasture. Carl Sandburg loved reading aloud to his family, friends, and audiences across America. In this spirit, visitors are invited to borrow a book or bring their own, then find a comfortable spot on a bench in the yard or in the pasture and read aloud to the goats. The barnyard and pasture are open from 10 am to 3 pm daily.
Carl Sandburg wrote books for adults and children, something for readers of all ages. In an introduction to a collection of poems for young readers, he wrote, “Dear young folks, some poems may please you for half a minute and you don’t care whether you keep them or not. Other poems you may feel to be priceless, and you hug them to your heart and keep them for sure. Here, in this book, each kind may be found, you do the finding.” Come read to a goat this September and find a book to hug to your heart.
Readers can also celebrate the program online by posting pictures of themselves reading their favorite book to their favorite pet and using the hashtag #ReadToAGoat.
A special bookmark will be provided to those who come to Sandburg and read to a goat. Bring your bookmark to the park store for a 15% discount on a book purchase. The park store is located at the pop-up tent behind the Sandburg Home and is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10am to 3pm. The store is run by Eastern National, a non-profit partner, and proceeds benefit educational programs at Sandburg.
Restrooms and a water bottle filling station are available near the main parking lot. Due to ongoing issues with a water pump, the restrooms and water bottle filling station near the Sandburg Home are closed, however portable toilets are available nearby. Visitors are asked to bring their own drinking water.
Park grounds and trails are open sunrise to sunset. The park store and visitor information area are open Wednesday to Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm, in the garage behind the Sandburg Home. Outdoor access to the goats (in the barnyard and goat pasture) is from 10 am to 3pm daily. Due to Covid 19, capacity in the barnyard and pasture is 40 people. The Sandburg Home and house tours remain closed due to ventilation concerns in the 183-year-old house.
To promote our staff and visitors’ safety, masks are required in all NPS buildings and on all forms of enclosed public transportation, regardless of location or vaccination status. Additionally, masks must be worn in outdoors spaces where physical distancing cannot be maintained, such as narrow or busy trails and overlooks.
Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, located in Flat Rock, NC, is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily, except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Due to COVID-19, some visitor services are limited. For park updates and all parking options visit www.nps.gov/carl.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 423 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov, and on Facebook, Instagram, Twitte
